A tourist helicopter that crashed into New York City’s Hudson River last month, killing all six people on board, broke into three major pieces before descending rapidly, the National Transportation Safety Board said on Wednesday.
The Bell 206 chopper, operated by New York Helicopter Tours, departed on April 10 at 2:58 p.m. ET from a downtown Manhattan helicopter pad and flew north over the Hudson River before crashing about 17 minutes later, the NTSB said in a report.
Several witnesses described hearing several loud “bangs” coming from the helicopter before it broke up and descended, the NTSB said. The agency said the helicopter suddenly separated into three major sections: the fuselage including the engine, the main rotor system, and the tail boom….